Chapter 5: Chapter 5
It can be said that Shirou was used to such situations. In fact, it was particularly because of this that he could act before anyone else could.
He threw his sword.
With a resounding ding, the trajectory of the tip of the lance was altered and missed its course, hitting air as a startled Xenovia made her way to stand in front of the injured girl.
He on the other hand moved to intercept the approach of the other four-winged sentinels.
"Shirou!" Xenovia called, tossing to him the sword he had thrown.
It was the light-based sword the church had provided him. After tossing it, the blade of light had slowly dissipated until only the handle remained as without the infusion of will, its form could not be maintained.
"Thanks," he called, grabbing the hilt of the weapon and instantly reforming the sword.
"Aim well," the voice within the necklace spoke. "If you can see it, there's a spot between the armour that can be easily pierced. A flaw in the design not taken into account for those of six wings or less."
He could see what the voice meant now that he took the time to utilize structural analysis. The components that made it up were formidable. A type of alloy he had never heard of before, but was witnessing for the first time.
"When the angels first fell, none in Heaven had ever believed that a day would come that the source of their light would be used against them. This metal shell was the product and resolution of that problem," the necklace explained.
Regardless, his grip around his sword tightened before he drew in towards the enemy.
He did not possess Saber's superior swordsmanship, nor did he possess the confidence to be anywhere near her level yet, but he did at least have hers and Griselda's training.
Thinking on the subject, he wondered how those two were doing without him, but ultimately had to put such thoughts on hold as the winged sentinels struck forth with their weapons.
Timing was everything in a battle.
The images he had seen.
The battles that Archer had fought.
They weren't the memories of someone who's skill was unreachable. Rather,
He was simply staring at a representation of himself, and the ability he possessed.
Although he loathed that existence, the skill displayed was the extent of his own.
Trace. On.
His body flooded with power. An inner circuitry and framework of steel and iron that came to life in an internal explosion of fire. Ultimately, this was his path. A means until his end.
Left arm, two inches down, an inch to the right.
Strike!
His body twisted as he stabbed forth, his sword penetrating deeply into the first four-winged sentinel's chest and caving it in. Of the three four-winged sentinels that had come in pursuit of the girl, one of them exploded in a combustion of white flame.
Yet perhaps due to that explosion, what seemed like an army of them appeared floating within the sky, a majority of them four-winged. Even the one's that had previously been pressuring the other examinees rose into the air.
Xenovia swallowed, her face paling as the severity of the situation seemed to settle within her mind. They were surrounded with no way out, and even the orbs the church had provided were proven useless.
In a way, he could understand if she felt any feelings of hopelessness. In fact, even the girl behind Xenovia was wearing a despondent look, her eyes glancing from the broken orb in her hand to the sentinels in the air before growing detached.
Still, however hopeless the situation may seem, nothing was ever certain.
Would he have to use them now, the weapons of his armoury?
The image of the winged sentinels flickered in his eyes, his expression hardening as circuitry like patterns emerged from within his body; a physical representation of his flowing magical energy let loose.
The necklace around his neck thrummed, releasing a visible light that bathed the area.
"The courage you displayed has long since passed any test I've had for you, and the selflessness of your actions has even won over admiration and gratitude from a being who hates all. The strength you wield is no longer just yours alone, but the strength of three, a trinity of power."
Soon after the voice in the necklace spoke, the once cyan-coloured markings running across his body shifted with patterns of leafless white yew branches that intermingled with a growing blackness that originated from his chest.
A might like none other swelled from within his very being, and the remaining sentinels before him no longer appeared threatening.
"This form will not last as you are not yet capable enough. Finish this quickly," the voice within the necklace spoke.
He didn't need to be told to know that. Even now, although he felt the massive surge in power, he knew that the only reason his body could handle it was because of his reinforcement.
Now was the time.
A single burst.
Unknowingly, as his mind came to this single conclusion, an output was produced. The origin of power shifted from his center to his sword, the light energy erupting in a torrent that blasted the ground apart with just the wind force produced alone.
Xenovia shielded her eyes, as did the others in the area.
This wasn't an attack like a Noble Phantasm, crystalized mysteries created using human imagination as their core, no; this attack was far different.
What he could see being released from the sword was the purity of light mixed in with a subtle undertone of dark and tainted energy. He need only release it.
The timing was now.
There could be no other, as the situation would not allow it.
A plethora of various weapons flashed across his mind at that moment. Noble Phantasms with the ability to destroy numerous enemies, yet he dismissed them all.
The sword already in his hand would be enough.
Both hands moved to grip the hilt of the sword, the torrent produced growing ever stronger, and even managing to blow away Xenovia and the rest into the shrubs.
He let out a breath, watching as the sentinels began their charge.
"Release the splendor of the Heavens."
"And release the taint of my curse."
Two voices intermixed together at that moment as he swung his sword. One as peaceful as tranquil water, the other gruff and domineering.
With a blinding flash, everything appeared to disappear for an instant. The ground, the trees, the plants, and even the sky, everything seemed to return to an identical shade of white nothingness.
It was then that a frighteningly loud thunder-clap like sound erupted in the stillness, revealing vile pitch black tendrils eating away at the sentinels; the light produced by the swing of the sword beginning to die down.
Moments later, and the world returned to normal, revealing his form still propped at the apex of his swing. Sweat creased his brows, and his breathing was ragged enough to show the visible strain on his body.
Collapsing, he smiled as he saw the others approaching him.
With his previous attack, the sentinels that were previously there appeared as if they had never existed in the first place. If not for the few remaining eroding parts scattered amongst the ground, there would have had been no proof of their presence.
"T-That was incredible!" One of the boys who had been fighting previously said. Currently, the boy in question was absently removing the twigs and branches that clung to his body.
Now that he took a closer look, everyone was.
Previously Xenovia and the others had been blown away straight into the shrubs, thus, their predicament was quite understandable.
"Sorry," he apologized. In the heat of the moment, he had neglected to realize the impact the strong wind generated would have on those standing behind him.
"Sorry?" The girl asked before laughing. "You friggin save our lives and you're the one apologizing?"
Xenovia who had been remaining silent suddenly used this opportunity to open her mouth. "Idiot," she ended up saying with no changes in her facial expression.
"Sorry?" He ended up saying again, causing the other boy to burst into laughter when Xenovia turned herself away.
As it would turn out, the three examinees that they had saved were related brothers and sisters; the sister being the older of the other two by one year, making her the eldest in the group aside from Xenovia and himself who were still older than her.
"Still, this is quite a problem," the eldest sister spoke.
Her features were soft with a rounded face, and a delicate pair of thin eyebrows that made her appear younger than she looked. The fact that she had a flat-chest only seemed to add to this effect.
As for her name, Liliana Marino, he had learned of it quite shortly after they introduced themselves.
Her two brothers were twins and were respectively named Andrea and Antonio Marino. Both of them possessed similar looks with their black hair cropped short, and child like faces. If not for the different colour of their eyes, blue and brown respectively, it would be hard to tell them apart.
"Yes indeed," Andrea spoke to his sister, bending over to inspect the crushed orb fragments still in Liliana's hands.
This matter was extremely troubling, not just for them, but everyone involved in the competition. The orb was meant as an escape to make sure of one's safety within the dimension created by the Dimensional Cross. After all, death in the Dimensional Cross meant true death. This was why Griselda had instructed them on the use of the orbs in the first place.
Xenovia hummed in thought before frowning, chancing a glance at Liliana's direction and the fragment pieces in her hand. However, before thinking much more on the matter, she waited patiently by a fire.
The fire was something he had started firstly to keep everyone warm as night descended, and secondly to prepare some food. This secondary purpose was mostly in part due to the fatigued looks on Liliana and her siblings faces.
He was currently making a stew for an early dinner. With the supplies Liliana, Andrea, Antonio, and Xenovia had on hand, they had more than enough food to last them for the time being.
Still, ever since Xenovia had tasted the food he made, she would sit patiently by the fire like she was doing currently; waiting silently for the food to finish before wordlessly holding out one of her ration bars in a motion to trade.
Even now, in the company of others, her behaviour persisted.
Accepting the ration bar in Xenovia's hand, he gave her a bowl to eat from before turning to Liliana and her siblings.
"So, it didn't work?" He asked, pulling out his own white orb that he had been storing in a pocket within his white cloak, the ones provided by the church.
"No," Liliana spoke gravely. She then looked at Xenovia in befuddlement before nearing him and whispering into his ear.
"As fellow disciples of the same church, I never expected Xenovia Quarta to have that sort of expression on her face," she spoke.
He could understand what Liliana meant looking at the content expression on Xenovia's face after each spoonful. It was if the frosty exterior she had once shown at a time before the Swords Trials was simply melting away.
"She's not a bad person," he said before passing a bowl of the stew to Liliana and her two brothers. "Only a tad misunderstood."
Xenovia grunted from her position sitting a couple meters away. Evidently, she had heard him.
Dinner was a quiet affair with the only commotion beginning when Liliana and her two brothers began to protest Xenovia's attempts at a third serving while they themselves had only had one. Aside from such small matters, the group eventually found themselves a quiet place to sleep for the night to regain their energy after the battle.
Even he was no exception as his body ached from his previous show of strength. It was the same concept of pouring a searing hot liquid into a plastic container. In this case, his body was the plastic, and the energy flooding it was the hot liquid. Just as the plastic would distort, bend, or break in a few places due to the inflow of heat, his body was the same. The energy was just too massive for him to currently handle without receiving some form of damage.
The only one in proper condition was Xenovia whose only damage consisted of getting the twigs and bramble out of her hair. This was why, late into the night, she was practicing silently by herself.
Being as he had yet to fall asleep, he silently watched her, a small admiration beginning to form. Even when he had first met her, she appeared to be of the diligent sort without showing much care about what others thought about her. In a certain type of manor, her bearings reminded him of both Saber and Rin whom he had left behind. Knowing them, they must have been worried, but he could do nothing about that at the moment, but hope that he would be able to find a way back. That being the case, what he had to focus on now was the present, and those who he had to save. Any other one of his problems could be solved at a later point.
With that thought in mind, he still didn't allow himself to fall asleep until he was sure Xenovia had fallen asleep first.
Call him stupid, but he couldn't help but watch the dedication Xenovia placed into her sword even until the very end of her training.
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At the dawn of the next morning, the group woke up early and began to take stock of their supplies before gathering together to discuss on a course of action.
As previously seen in the last battle, due to the matter of the malfunction of the white orbs, the mind set of the entire group had change. This was no longer a competition or trial to wield one of two fragments of Holy Sword Excalibur, but a dangerous situation that they would have to overcome in order to live. In which, staying as a group was their best idea rather than to spread out.
The reasoning of this was because of Griselda's words. Depending on the area, a whole swarm of enemies may be nearby. Take for example the previous battle. What had started off with just perhaps a mere six or so sentinels drew in enough other winged sentinels to blot out the sky.
"We're going to need to locate everyone else," Xenovia spoke decisively.
He nodded. With the orbs not working, the greatest danger lied in venturing alone and taking risks.
After all, this was a competition in order to wield one of two fragments of Holy Sword Excalibur. Thus, when Griselda had explained the concept of battle points, she was encouraging those who did not excel in contributions to risk fighting stronger foes. The stronger the enemy, the more battle points one could achieve upon obtaining victory. However, this also meant that the level of difficulty would be substantially higher. Without the knowledge that the orbs weren't working, death was almost guaranteed to anyone who tried.
With a decision made, Andrea began to explain how he, Liliana, and Antonio were lucky enough to locate each other earlier on due to the advantage of a high ground. In any case, the group of siblings began to recount the direction they had come from, stating that they had not seen anyone else along the way.
That being the case, the group was then left to wander aimlessly, wasting away several hours before they decided to rest. Thee method in which they were searching was highly ineffective, yet it was the only one they had. So, after a quick break with Xenovia goading him into a spar from time to time, they set off once again.
Soon, the forested area they had once been in transitioned to a dry and sweltering area. It was a desert of sorts, large dunes of sand far out in the distance, but with small vegetation like wild grass and the occasional bush growing on top.
Expressions dimming, the group turned back and decided to go in a different direction. The water they were able to refill in the previous day would not last them a trip through a Sahara-like environment.
Another day soon passed with yet again no results. It was as expected though. The dimension created by the Dimension Cross was huge with only sixty or so participants entering within.
Still, dispirited as they were, they continued on.
The question now was, how could they find everyone in a world that was so large?
"Head North, then take a detour to the right for about five minutes," the voice inside the necklace spoke.
Expression neutral, he made an excuse to scout ahead, and ventured further out from the group.
It was only when he knew he was entirely alone did he ask, "Is there a reason we should go there?"
"I can vaguely sense them, the other participants of this trial. More particularly, it's due to the orbs they still possess and the swords connected to them, so I can only do so if we are near."
The more he got to understand the voice in the necklace, the more questions he ended up having as a result. In the end, who was this entity that had brought him to this world, and what role did this entity wish for him to fulfill?
He shook his head to get rid of such thoughts. No matter how the voice inside the necklace could sense the others scattered across the world, that wasn't what he should really care about, rather, he was thankful.
Returning back to the group, he then made up an excuse that he saw someone in the distance. Expressions brightening, the group soon left in the direction instructed to him by the voice.
Sure enough, there in the distance were another two examinees. From the look of things, neither of them had yet to run into any trouble, so at least that was a good thing.
Waving, Lilana called out to them as the group approached.
Quickly explaining the current situation, the two other examinees gave them all skeptical looks as if they were crazy. The skepticism quickly disappeared however as Liliana revealed the broken fragments of her own crushed white orb.
The two gaped before one of the two hesitatingly shattered his own white orb, threatening that if this was all a joke then there would be consequences when they returned. Still, when nothing happened and the examinee who'd shattered the orb still remained, everyone present couldn't help but feel a dark pit growing in their stomachs.
With what Griselda had explained, time within the Dimensional Cross was accelerated. Therefore, how long would they have to stay within the dimension before Griselda and the other clergy would find out there was a problem? By then it could already be too late.
The more foreboding question though, prevail ant in their minds, was that even if Griselda and the others knew of the current situation, what could they do to resolve it? The only way would be to have the person who created the device to fix it, but this was a relic of the war between the factions, and the creator had the possibility of already being dead.
With the situation assessed, the two examinees they had met then agreed to come.
Similar situations began to occur more and more as the days passed.
Environments changed during the course of their journey. From the forest they once started at, to the edges of a distant desert, and even to an area similar to the tropical rain forests, every sort of biome seemed to be included in the dimension created.
Not only that, but due to the growing numbers of the group, they had to stop more often to let others catch their breath, and eat food to replenish themselves.
Normally, this wouldn't be much of a problem, but two things became readily apparent as a result. One, they didn't have enough supplies and replenishment to distribute between all of them, therefore, he found himself hunting and foraging for food more than four times a day. It even got the point where Xenovia had offered her help, yet instead of helping, she managed to forage a poisoned breed of mushroom that she nearly put into the food he was making.
She never helped again from then, and instead it was the Marino siblings who were able to gather things that were more edible.
As for the second result, it was quite obvious if one were to think about it. When before they were a small group, it made it much easier to avoid detection from the enemies they ran into. Now though, with the group's larger size, they were almost too large to escape detection.
Fortunately, by asking the other they had gathered together, they were able to determine that they were only missing ten or so more people.
In that regard, it was only ten more people before everyone could focus on determining a way out of the dimension.
Tragedy though would occur in the following weeks.
"We were too late," Andrea spoke, motioning towards the blood-stained remains of an examinee in the distance.
"Mitch, you poor bastard," one of the examinees spoke sadly. Evidently, they were acquainted with the deceased.
Xenovia knelt down by the corpse and gently closed the dismayed eyes of the dead examinee.
The following day would give identical results. More and more dead. Thinking clearly on the subject, he, and many others theorized that after spending almost a month now in the dimensional space, the last few examinees were tired of waiting, and did as Griselda had encouraged; try their luck against an equal or superior foe.
The end result did not need to be said.
Still, what worried him the most was that they had yet to find Irina Shidou. With the level of skill, she possessed, she shouldn't have been defeated so easily unless she was surrounded.
This being the case, there was still one thing he was sure of.
She was still alive.
From the number of corpses, they had passed, not one of them was Irina's.
When the days began to pass, of the ten or so missing people, seven of them were found dead, and the rest injured. It was at this point that many of the people who had followed him before were insisting on finding a safe spot to just hole-up until they could think of a plan to evacuate from the dimension. However, he and many others did not want to give up.
A week later.
He was frowning, his eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean there's no one else?"
Currently, he was out alone looking for food to make for the rest of the people in the group, making this the perfect time to voice his question.
"I mean just that, there is no one else to be found in the dimension," the voice inside the necklace spoke.
That wasn't possible. They had still yet to locate Irina, so how could there be no one else? Up until this point, even if the examinee in question was deceased, the voice inside the necklace would always guide him to the location.
The voice inside the necklace was silent for a moment as he waited for an answer.
"If you truly insist, then there's a place half-a-day's distance away from here that you can try," the voice inside the necklace relented.
"Thank you," he spoke.
The necklace became silent from there.
Returning to camp, he explained where it was that he was going, and that they didn't have to come with him as it may be dangerous. However, Xenovia was adamant on coming, and so were many others. After all, in the previous weeks, not only did the group not run into any troubles by following, they were more likely to avoid it.
This was due to his enhanced vision, and auditory senses alerting him of any nearby enemies long before they could be spotted, making him the perfect candidate to lead.
Thus, with only a little complaint, the group was once again on the move.
The location they arrived at was a rigid plain of hard rock that ended just off a plateau. On either side of them were the hard bases of two mountain peaks. Wind was blowing gently, and not an enemy appeared in sight. It was almost to tranquil to believe as regardless of the area they had traveled to in the dimension, there was always something they had to be weary of. For example, in the forest environment where they had first begun, there were constant patrols of winged-sentinels. The following places had other dangers such as the searing heat of the desert area, or the precarious heights of a mountain-top.
This new place however, was just as described. Tranquil.
"There's nothing here," Liliana spoke, her eyes glancing around.
"Well, at least it's safe," one of the more recent examinees rescued commented before sitting down to rest.
"Shirou?" Xenovia asked.
Looking at her, he could guess what she was thinking. Like himself, she had gotten acquainted with Irina, and was thus reluctant to believe that Irina was dead.
If there was someone with just as much determination to find Irina than him, it would be Xenovia. Within the church grounds she didn't have much friends other than himself at all. The fact that Irina had taken the initiative to befriend Xenovia was something that Xenovia would not forget.
His forehead creasing, he scratched his head.
Was this really the place? He ended up thinking.
No matter where he looked, there were no trace of Irina at all. Not even any signs he could work with. Therefore, why was he told to come here?
He doubted himself for a moment when he saw something in the distance.
A marking of some kind that was etched into a boulder half-buried underground.
Curiously, he walked towards it, the others following closely behind him.
The examinees began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves as they realized the mark was that of a cross with a circle outlining. Perhaps it could be a sign to help them find a way out of the dimension, or perhaps not. What mattered though for the majority of them was the possibility.
He stepped forward and inspected it, Xenovia close behind as she knew more about such things from Griselda's teachings.
"Do you know what it is?" He ended up asking.
Xenovia shook her head. "No, even if the cross is recognizable, I am not familiar with the rest of the crude markings," she explained.
It wasn't much of a surprise that she didn't know. The Dimensional Cross was quite old, and only the inventor himself would be able to understand the hidden workings within.
"Thanks for trying," he said before giving her a nod.
Nodding back, Xenovia made room for him to further inspect that mark as she saw his intentions.
Just touching it alone did not seem to give any reaction, and regardless of what he did, nothing seemed to work. For all intents and purposes, it really appeared as if it was just an ordinary mark.
This assumption was proven wrong moments later when an examinee unexpectedly managed to touch his white orb onto the engraving.
A turbulent wind blew, causing everyone to shield their eyes as small bits of rock and dust were uplifted from the ground and sent flying. Despite doing so, dust still managed to seep through their fingers.
Moments later, the ground suddenly began shaking, large tremors travelling within the compact stone and creating wide chasms.
"You've got to be kidding me," someone said.
"Oh boy," Andrea spoke wearily, his eyes along with many others watching as cracks surrounded the group in something that resembled an oddly shaped circle.
"No one move," Liliana spoke, her face paling by the second.
His eyes darted back and forth from where he stood at the front of the group of other examinees, looking for some means to get out of the situation. However, before he could do anything more, a sneeze came from the most unlikely of individuals.
Xenovia's cheeks coloured as everyone turned to face her, her expression deceptively neutral in the face of all the wronged looks people were giving her.
At this point though, it didn't matter.
The cracks that were surrounding them instantly became more pronounced and evident.
"Well, shit," Antonio swore as the ground gave in beneath everyone.
The shadows deep beneath the ground were like a blanket all around them. Thick and heavy, blotting out all traces of light as they all slowly staggered to their feet. Moments passed and shortly after regaining their bearings the light from their swords chased away the dark. They were inside a cavern of some sort, the ceiling dozens of meters high, lined with teeth of earth and stone both above and below.
Stalactites and stalagmites?
It appeared as if they were in some sort of cave. Perhaps when the ground caved in from beneath everyone's feet the impact of the fall had caused them to land further into the ground.
"Unfortunately, that assumption is wrong," the voice within the necklace spoke.
He remained silent, prompting the voice to continue.
"The dimension created by the Dimensional Cross is one that is ever shifting, composed of multiple layers. Who's to say that every examinee ended up within the same dimension?"
He frowned, thinking about such a possibility. In that case, how would they be able to save everyone?
"You shouldn't think too hard about it," the voice within the necklace spoke. "I have a general idea about the location of most participants, and in fact, most of them were in the same area you started in. The only exception was one."
Irina Shidou.
He understood now why they were unable to find her after such a long time. Then why did the voice direct him to lead the group to the previous location where they fell?
"This is simply because there was a chance to meet up with Irina Shidou. The only thing unexpected was the method to cross over. It was most probable that she, like you all, fell into this separate dimension."
He nodded his head, feeling relieved. Even though he only knew Irina slightly due to their short interactions, but the time spent together was more than enough time for him to understand what kind of a person she was. Kind, would be the best word to describe her, followed closely with considerate. That kind of person was not one he wished to see get injured.
The only problem was, where was she?
"If she's alive, she's nearby," the voice within the necklace spoke. "Around half-a-mile forward, then a sharp left towards a cleft formed by a small underground stream."
Inwardly giving his thanks, he asked Xenovia to help reorganize the group with him, and together they soon set off towards where the voice within the necklace directed him. The swords in their hands were made out of light energy, thus they could slightly illuminate the way in front of them.
Water dripped from the stalactites hanging overhead, like the drool of a starving beast with prey already between it jaws.
"I don't like the feeling of this place." One of the examinees said, solemnly taking in the sight of their surroundings. "Something's definitely off."
"And I think I might know what." Another replied, raising his blade upwards with trembling hands as he stared transfixed into the gazes of so many others.
"W-What the hell are those?!" Another examinee called panicking.
Within the shadows and the dim lighting, it was hard to make out anything but the pairs of red eyes hanging from the ceiling. It was then that a deafening screech resounded before the group fell under attack.
One of the examinees who was just standing three meters away from him disappeared, her screams fading in the darkness.
Chaos immediately broke out amongst the examinees as more and more got injured. It only got worse as time went by, and the stench of blood began to permeate within the air.
He grimaced, staying near Xenovia and protecting all those around him. However, he wasn't capable of defending so many people at the same time.
Yet suddenly,
"Over here!" A familiar voice yelled. "Come over here!"
Turning his head, he caught site of Irina shouting at them standing at the front of a large crack in the wall.
Amidst the panic, the majority of the examinees blindly followed Irina's voice arriving in front of her. Irina then directed them into the space within the crack. It was probably where she had been hiding to avoid these things for who knows how long.
Still, there were too many examinees rushing to the same spot at the same time, drawing the attention of their attacker.
Admittedly, he was probably the only one who could make out their forms in the dark, but even then, he was greatly confused. After all, they didn't have a form. They were like floating black clouds with the only discernible feature being their red eyes.
"Creatures of the boundary," the voice within the necklace spoke. "Keepers that watch over the souls of those neither sent to Heaven nor Hell. Their strength is equivalent to a six-winged angel and are normally docile unless provoked," the voice within the necklace didn't speak for a moment, seeming to be in contemplation. "I had hoped that this wasn't the case, but the Dimensional Cross must have been tampered with."
In the darkness illuminated by a dim light, he could spot three or four of these creatures moving around within the air.
Still though, now that Irina had been found, all that was left was to leave this place created by the Dimensional Cross. The voice within the necklace was quick to give him information.
"From my memory of the design of this place, you all must make your way to the center of the dimension. A control station of sorts could be found there," the voice within the necklace said.
He nodded before saying a quick-thanks.
Regardless, before anything else, he needed to make sure that everyone was safe first. Some of the examinees had already died, and if he didn't act soon, more would be at risk.
If defending was no longer an option since he had too many to defend, then there was only one option left.
He tossed away the light-sword provided to him by the church.
The sword sailing into the air and illuminated one of the creatures just as it drew past.
In that moment, the creature's eyes seemed to widen in disbelief as a pair of blades ripped it in half.
Now wasn't the time to hold anything back anymore.
"Trace, On."
The words resounded within the darkness.
Xenovia watched Shirou silently with rapt attention. Ever since she had first met him, mother Griselda had told her that she would find out for herself what characteristics drew her to him. Griselda attributed it to the natural quality of a Holy Man: An individual blessed by the heavens.
She however saw differently, seeing through the Holy aura Shirou would occasionally emit unknowingly.
He was kind.
Kinder than anyone that she had ever met in her life. She knew that it wasn't really his fault for seeing her within the lake, but irrationally, she still held it against him and refused to share her food when she noticed that he had none. Who would have thought that Shirou could cook? And even more so, offer up the food he took effort to make to her first before then insisting on a trade when she refused due to her own ego.
More than kind though, he was caring.
The lives of the other examinees who participated in the trials should not have been his to worry about, and yet from the very beginning when the malfunctioning of the white orbs was discovered, he had been one of the first to propose to look for the rest along with her. Even then, when their search was proving futile, his determination never wavered. In fact, because of this, they were able to find more and more of the examinees. It seemed as though wherever Shirou would go, he would know exactly where the location of the other examinees would be.
For these reasons, and a couple mundane other things she couldn't take the time to mention, she saw for herself what qualities drew her to him.
Most of all though, he meant more to her than anyone else in the church. He was her friend. The only one that stood by her side despite her cold demeanor, and admittedly lacking common sense that pushed others away behind an unintentional frosty glare.
So, even in the midst of battle, she watched him carefully. Preparing herself to fight by his side when he chose to act. It was because of this mentality that despite the ensuing chaos, her eyes never left his figure, letting her witness something she and many others would never forget.
"S-Sacred Gear," she spoke in astonishment.
They were the couple hundred or so armaments created by God, and gifted to the human race. Still though, their numbers were limited, and their strength varied. As such it was extremely rare for a human in a population of even a few billion to possess one. Even more so if the Sacred Gear was a Longinus class.
Watching carefully, a pair of swords had just spontaneously appeared within Shirou's hands, and based on their feel, they were at least Legend Grade weapons or higher.
Weapons were classified by the church as Mortal for the regular weapons made of steel, Legend Grade for the weapons of great renown and power, and finally Holy Grade for weapons being at the pinnacle.
She frowned as she pondered to herself.
The only Sacred Gear she knew of capable of producing swords in such a manor was Sword Birth. Be that as it may, it couldn't possibly be that particular gear. It was impossible since Sword Birth was only known to produce demonic swords. In which case, the black and white curved falchions in Shirou's hands respectively, did not give off any indication of demonic aura. Therefore, they could not be of demonic origin.
She didn't know what kind of Sacred Gear Shirou possessed, but she knew for certain that she would ask Griselda when they eventually returned. Right now, she was just glad for this unexpected surprise. Still though, she had her own surprises.
Her eyes tracing the path of the light-sword Shirou had thrown at the start of the fight, they came to rest on another one of those creatures that flew past.
Calculating within her mind, mother Griselda had once admonished her severely for bringing out this weapon and breaking the seal without just cause. However,
She could not fault her for utilizing it in this sort of situation.
Mimicking Shirou's earlier throw, she tossed her light-sword away, uncaring about where it went, or if she'd hit anything or not.
At the same time, with a single flourish of her hand, her white cloak was shed off to reveal a a pair of arm-warmers that reached half-way up her arm, and a form-fitting black-combat apparel that completely resembled a black leotard with short sleeves.
Stretching her hand out, a magic circle appeared a foot away from her palm before a chained sword began to emerge. Her palm then grasped the hilt.
The chains shattered in a shower of sparks.
A warmth spreading through her body.
Sword and wielder stood as one once more.
Emitting a tower of yellow light, it split apart the darkness.
Durandal, the Holy Sword of the legendary Paladin of Charlemagne.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone